Making platform game, need method to stop running - actionscript-3

I am making a platform game in flash.
I have a goal class(the class which contains code for the goal sprite, where when you hit it, it continues to next part of game).
Inside the goal constructor, 2 event listeners are added, they are as follows:
addEventListener(Event.ADDED, beginClass);
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
The beginClass function is fine, and only runs once, but eFrame is what checks if the player has hit the goal, so it is constantly running. The problem is, once the player hits the goal, eFrame continues to run, while in a menu describing the next scene to the player. My eFrame function is below.
private function eFrame(event:Event):void{
if(hitTestObject(_root.mcMain)){
var lastScore:int = _root.mainScore;
_root.mainScore = lastScore;
while (_root.lvlHolder.numChildren > 0) {
_root.lvlHolder.removeChildAt(0);
}
_root.mcMain.removeChildAt(0);
_root.isInCut = true;
if (_root.lvlCurrent == 1) {
_root.gotoAndStop(2);
} else if (_root.lvlCurrent == 2) {
_root.gotoAndStop(3);
} else if (_root.lvlCurrent == 3) {
_root.gotoAndStop(4);
}
}
}
Frames 2, 3, 4, are frames with just text and a button that display a message to the player, and then the player hits continue. My problem is that eFrame is still trying to be run, but the class has not been instantiated, and the method is causing extreme amounts of lag once the player continues.

Inside Goal, what's the point of _root?
Anyway here's what I've done:
Change the event ADDED to ADDED_TO_STAGE, that way, when the event is fired we know this Sprite has a stage property.
addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, beginClass);
Remove the eFrame event from the constructor. Add it to beginClass, with stage, like so:
stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
Now in eFrame, you can awesomely remove the event with the stage reference. It didn't work earlier because the reference was wrong (whatever it was with the _root variable).
stage.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
BUT - remember to do it before this part of your code:
while (_root.lvlHolder.numChildren > 0) {
_root.lvlHolder.removeChildAt(0);
}
because when the sprite is removed, it won't have the stage property anymore. Just remember to clean up events in all possible scenarios. I'm not entirely sure stage is the right place to place your enter frame event, I just assumed so because of what you earlier called _root.

Inside eFrame() stop the event listener:
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);

you're adding eventListener to stage so try this:
stage.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
or
parent.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
or
event.target.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);

Related

How to play animation and then play reverse on hover, start playing again until end on hover out using in Adobe Animate (Flash)?

Sorry this is so specific but I have combed through so many pages and videos and tutorials and can't figure this out.
I have all of my animations within a MovieClip. In the movie clip is also a stage sized white square button with the instance name "btn". Back on the main stage I have a second layer called "actions" with the following code applied to the first (and only) frame. It's not working. At all. (HUGE) tia
stop(); // this will stop the movie from playing at the start
btn.addEventListener((MouseEvent.ROLL_OVER, playMovie);
btn.addEventListener((MouseEvent.ROLL_OUT, stopMovie);
function playMovie(evt:MouseEvent):void {
play();
}
function stopMovie(evt:MouseEvent):void {
stop();
}
The problem is when you say play(); or stop(); which object are you really commanding? Your playMovie function could be in theory used to control many MovieClips at once, in different ways, so be specific with your commands...
btn.play(); //start the playback of "btn" MC
btn.stop(); //stop the playback of "btn" MC
Also consider using MOUSE_OVER/OUT instead ROLL_OVER/OUT etc but whatever works for you.
For reversing you will use btn.prevFrame(); together with an ENTER_FRAME event function. This function reads your Document settings for the FPS. For example, if you set 30 frames-per-sec then whatever instructions you put inside the event function will be processed 30 times per second.
See this other Answer for advice about reversing the playback of a MovieClip.
#VC.One is correct in how you should implement a solve to your issue, however in response to your comment on their answer, I thought I would demonstrate how to implement this fully for you - incase they don't.
var removeUpdate = false;
btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, playMovie);
btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, stopMovie);
function playMovie(evt:MouseEvent):void {
// Stop rewinding the movie clip and play it
if(removeUpdate){
stage.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, update);
removeUpdate = false;
}
// play our button
btn.play();
}
function stopMovie(evt:MouseEvent):void {
// stop our button
btn.stop();
// ... and rewind it
stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, update);
removeUpdate = true;
}
function update(evt: Event){
// moves the button movie clip backwards one frame.
btn.prevFrame();
// If we have finished rewinding the movie clip, then stop
if(btn.currentFrame == 1){
stage.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, update);
removeUpdate = false;
}
}
It is important that you remove the update event because if you don't, the movie will never play again, because it will go one frame forward and then back again every frame due to; btn.play(); btn.prevFrame();

AS3 removeChild and collisions : issue

I'm working in a little shooting game with Flash and AS3. I'm still beginning for using Class documents, but I managed to understand thanks to tutorials.
So here's how it works :
I used the HitTestObject when the Enemy MovieClip hits a bullet, shot by the user :
//checking if it is touching any bullets
//we will have to run a for loop because there will be multiple bullets
for(var i:int = 0;i<_root.bulletContainer.numChildren;i++){
//numChildren is just the amount of movieclips within
//the bulletContainer.
//we define a variable that will be the bullet that we are currently
//hit testing.
var bulletTarget:MovieClip = _root.bulletContainer.getChildAt(i);
//now we hit test
if(hitTestObject(bulletTarget)){
hit++;
if(hit==4)
{
gotoAndPlay(4); //the Enemy MC is removed after 4 hits(parent.removeChild(this))
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
//the Bullet MC is removed with its Listeners
_root.bulletContainer.removeChild(bulletTarget);
bulletTarget.removeListeners();
}
if(hit<4)
{
gotoAndPlay(2);
_root.bulletContainer.removeChild(bulletTarget);
bulletTarget.removeListeners();
}
if(hit > 4)
{
_root.bulletContainer.removeChild(bulletTarget);
bulletTarget.removeListeners();
hit = 0;
}
}
}
So after 4 hits, it is completely removed from the screen.
The eFrame function remove the Enemy MC if it goes off the stage :
private function eFrame (event:Event):void{
x+=speed;
if(this.x > stage.stageWidth + 50){
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
_root.removeChild(this);
}
}
I also put a command that detects collisions between the Enemy MC and the Player (that I gave the "craft" instance name) :
if(hitTestPoint(_root.craft.x -203.25, _root.craft.y - 44.9, collide))
{
_root.dmg.width+=8;//reduce the life bar
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
gotoAndPlay(4);
}
if(hitTestPoint(_root.craft.x -210.6, _root.craft.y - 32.9, collide))
{
_root.dmg.width+=8;
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
gotoAndPlay(4);
}
if(hitTestPoint(_root.craft.x -210.6, _root.craft.y - 6, collide))
{
_root.dmg.width+=8;
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
gotoAndPlay(4);
}
if(hitTestPoint(_root.craft.x -211.4, _root.craft.y + 20, collide))
{
_root.dmg.width+=8;
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
gotoAndPlay(4);
}
...//There is a lot of other points with the same results...
So the Enemy MC is also removed if it hits the craft MC (Player). But I encountered an issue : when the Enemy MC is hit (4 times by the Bullet movieclips "shot" by the user which removes it) but also collided by the player, it is not removed as it ought to be...
It is instead still displayed on the screen, and is static : it can't be hit neither by a bullet MC, neither by the player MC...
I think this is because of the parent.removeChild(this) executed from gotoAndPlay(4) of the Enemy MC, which causes that issue : it is executed a twice (because the Enemy MC is destroyed by the Bullet MC AND by the Player)...
Anyone has an idea to solve that double execution of removeChild ?
If you want to have more info, you can download the source :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wvl116wjqpu69d0/shoot_aircraft%20game.zip?dl=0
Thank you for your help.
Put your enemy inside of a container (could be just a Sprite object) and on the 4th frame of the animation call
parent.parent.removeChild(this.parent);
You'll have to change a few of your enemy movement lines of code maybe but you can figure that out.
Basically the idea is to hide the animation inside of a non animating Sprite. Changing frames mid code screws things up, unless it's nested deeper than the object that is being called on. I hope that makes sense.

EnterFrame handler to run only while timeline is stopped on a certain frame

I have some code in a frame. It's basically
this.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, handleUpdate);
function handleUpdate(e:Event):void
{...}
I want the code to be executed only when on that frame. But the handleUpdate function keeps getting called even when I'm out of that frame.
The timeline is stopped on this frame, and I want the handleUpdate to run continuously until the timeline moves off the frame.
If you're set on having the code for this on the frame in question, then you could do this:
var tmpCurFrame:int = currentFrame; //store the current frame
this.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, handleUpdate)
function handleUpdate(e:Event):void {
if (tmpCurFrame != currentFrame) { //if the frame has changed, stop the frame handler
this.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, handleUpdate);
return;
}
//do your code
}
handleUpdate(null);
As an aside, it's much cleaner to have a document class and other class files that manage this sort of thing instead of using frame scripts. But if you all you're looking for is a quick and dirty tweak to your existing code, this should do the trick.
Haven't you heard about addFrameScript ?
It's perfect for your needs.
var desiredFrame = 25; // Timeline frame (starts from 1)
this.addFrameScript(desiredFrame-1, onFrame25); // 1st param is zero-based
function onFrame25():void
{
trace("I'm on frame", desiredFrame);
}
There's a few things you should consider with your approach:
Adding an ENTER_FRAME listener on the frame you care about happens after you enter that frame, so if the movieclip is playing you won't get an ENTER_FRAME event until the next frame (at which time it may have moved off that frame).
Be aware that code on a frame executes every time the playhead enters that frame, and you should be careful to remove listeners when appropriate for memory leak purposes.
So one approach would be to place this code on the frame in question - note that it also nicely removes its listener:
var thisFrame:int = currentFrame;
function handleUpdate(e:Event) {
if (currentFrame==thisFrame) {
// your code here...
} else {
// remove listener if we moved off the frame
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, handleUpdate);
}
}
// call it now because the listener won't fire until next frame
handleUpdate(null);
// add listener in prep for next ENTER_FRAME, though note that
// if we move off this frame, then the listener is removed above
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, handleUpdate);
Another approach would be adding the following code on frame 1, so the listener always runs and is never cleaned up, and only performs the code when on frame 12:
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, handleUpdate);
function handleUpdate(e:Event):void
{
if (currentFrame==12) {
// your code here...
}
}

Method won't stop running when I switch to new frame, why? [duplicate]

I am making a platform game in flash.
I have a goal class(the class which contains code for the goal sprite, where when you hit it, it continues to next part of game).
Inside the goal constructor, 2 event listeners are added, they are as follows:
addEventListener(Event.ADDED, beginClass);
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
The beginClass function is fine, and only runs once, but eFrame is what checks if the player has hit the goal, so it is constantly running. The problem is, once the player hits the goal, eFrame continues to run, while in a menu describing the next scene to the player. My eFrame function is below.
private function eFrame(event:Event):void{
if(hitTestObject(_root.mcMain)){
var lastScore:int = _root.mainScore;
_root.mainScore = lastScore;
while (_root.lvlHolder.numChildren > 0) {
_root.lvlHolder.removeChildAt(0);
}
_root.mcMain.removeChildAt(0);
_root.isInCut = true;
if (_root.lvlCurrent == 1) {
_root.gotoAndStop(2);
} else if (_root.lvlCurrent == 2) {
_root.gotoAndStop(3);
} else if (_root.lvlCurrent == 3) {
_root.gotoAndStop(4);
}
}
}
Frames 2, 3, 4, are frames with just text and a button that display a message to the player, and then the player hits continue. My problem is that eFrame is still trying to be run, but the class has not been instantiated, and the method is causing extreme amounts of lag once the player continues.
Inside Goal, what's the point of _root?
Anyway here's what I've done:
Change the event ADDED to ADDED_TO_STAGE, that way, when the event is fired we know this Sprite has a stage property.
addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, beginClass);
Remove the eFrame event from the constructor. Add it to beginClass, with stage, like so:
stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
Now in eFrame, you can awesomely remove the event with the stage reference. It didn't work earlier because the reference was wrong (whatever it was with the _root variable).
stage.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
BUT - remember to do it before this part of your code:
while (_root.lvlHolder.numChildren > 0) {
_root.lvlHolder.removeChildAt(0);
}
because when the sprite is removed, it won't have the stage property anymore. Just remember to clean up events in all possible scenarios. I'm not entirely sure stage is the right place to place your enter frame event, I just assumed so because of what you earlier called _root.
Inside eFrame() stop the event listener:
removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
you're adding eventListener to stage so try this:
stage.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
or
parent.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);
or
event.target.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, eFrame);

Disabling button rollover for certain number of frames Flash actionscript 3.0

I'm constructing an area with selectable buttons that transition and appear every 10 frames. During these 10 frame transition periods I don't want the buttons to be selectable and if possible to disable the rollover.
I've tried creating an If statement on the addEventListener so that it only works when currentFrame is 11,21,31 etc but this didn't work. I then also tried the same principal on the function to which the Event Listener relates but still no success.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Add a listener for the ENTER_FRAME event, and put the if in the callback function.
For example
this.addEventListener (Event.ENTER_FRAME, onEnterFrame);
function onEnterFrame (evt:Event):void {
if (currentFrame == 21) {
yourButton.enabled = false;
} else {
yourButton.enabled = true;
}
}
You could do 2 things:
1:
You manually add and remove the listener.
So when you start the transition, the listener is removed,
then when the transition ends, the listener is added.
2:
You make a custom listener which checks for the state of the frame to see whether it should execute its body.
EXAMPLE:
public void listener(event:Event) {
if (event.getSource().stage.getCurrentFrame() == 10) {//This is an example, I don't know whether this specific way will work.
//Run your code here
}
}